Casper Ruud is firing on all cylinders at the Italian Open and is in the semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the fourth time in his career. Off the court, he is being cheered on by his wife and daughter.
Ruud recently revealed that his daughter was born while one of the year’s most thrilling matches was taking place.
Casper Ruud On Daughter Being Born During Carlos Alcaraz’s Australian Open Thriller
On January 30, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev played out a thrilling five-set match in the semifinals of the Australian Open. The Spaniard won 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that lasted five hours and 27 minutes. Alcaraz then went on to defeat Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open.
Ruud’s daughter was born on the same day, and he recently shared a story about how he had one eye on the Australian Open semifinals while waiting for her arrival. The 27-year-old also competed at the Australian Open, but was eliminated in the fourth round, allowing him to return home to be by his partner’s side for the birth of their daughter.
“She was born on the semifinal day of Australian Open. I was half watching Sascha and Carlos playing on the side and mixing with she’s just arriving. I was joking with Carlos and Sascha that she arrived just in your match and it was quite an intense day for not just them, but for me as well,” Ruud said on Tennis Channel.
“They had quite a thriller of a match down there and I was watching it on the side and seeing the results. But yeah, it was an incredible day for me and us in our life,” he added.
Ruud and his wife, Maria Galligani, have been together since 2018. They got engaged in November 2024 and reportedly tied the knot in a private ceremony recently.
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During the interview, Ruud also spoke about how fatherhood has given him a new perspective on life. The Norwegian took a month-long break from the ATP Tour following the birth of his daughter and returned to action at the Delray Beach Open.
Fast forward three months, and the clay-court specialist is once again showcasing his exemplary form on the red dirt, having reached the semifinals of the Italian Open, where he will face Luciano Darderi later on Friday. He has claimed wins over Zachary Svajda, Jiří Lehečka, Lorenzo Musetti, and Karen Khachanov en route to the final four.
